170 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
sent and a man instead of a small boy inflated himself in pro- 
ducing the well-timed grunts from the gas-pipe. 
I never saw people show such an ecstasy in dancing as did 
these negroes. The sex element did not enter into it largely, 
for there were but two or three men dancing. One old woman 
in particular interested us greatly. She danced alone prac- 
tically throughout the evening. Like most of the others, her 
head was surmounted by a turban, and her feet were bare. 
She held her hands in front of her in the posture of a begging 
poodle, and with eyes half closed she shuffled her feet in perfect 
time to the swaying of her body and the rhythm of the music. 
The expression on, her face was one of trance-like ecstasy, as she 
danced on and on so long as the music lasted; her soul lifted 
above her environment, sublimated, communicating with the 
unseen. Seeing her and others, particularly of the older women, 
gave me an insight into the force which music and dancing have 
always exerted as parts of religious ceremonies, that I had 
never before realized. If David ‘‘danced before the Lord’’ with 
the spiritual ecstasy that this old negress exhibited, it was an 
act of the highest religious fervor and was doubtless as accept- 
able as the devoutest prayer. , 
Corporal James’ sweetheart was evidently the belle of the 
ball and was really a strikingly handsome girl, of Juno-like 
frame and dignified bearing. She would have graced a far 
grander ball-room. As a climax, the white people all joined 
in a good old-fashioned Virginia reel, much to the edification of 
the negroes. 
Unfortunately, however, this was not the end of the affair, 
although I did not know it until the next morning. It appears 
that the ‘‘man’’ of one of our maids was incensed at his ‘‘ wo- 
man’’ for attending a ball to which he was not invited, and 
gave expression of his disapproval by knocking her down, kick- 
ing her in the ribs and attempting to drag her out of the gate. 
She screamed and the ever-chivalrous Ricker went to the res- 
cue. Quite a crowd gathered at the entrance. The man was 
truculent and showed fight, when Greenlaw appeared on the 
scene and was told by Ricker to tackle the offender. This he 
promptly did, knocking him down without striking him, and 
choking him into submission. He was then thrown out of the 
